Police Officer Involved Domestic Violence.
Lighting a candle of remembrance for those who've lost their lives to domestic violence behind the blue wall, for strength and wisdom to those still there, and a non-ending prayer for those who thought they had escaped but can't stop being afraid.

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN FORMER OXNARD OFFICER'S TRIALVentura County Star, CABy Raul Hernandez (Contact)Wednesday, July 16, 2008Jury selection began Tuesday afternoon in the trial of a former Oxnard police officer who allegedly armed and barricaded himself in his Ventura home for about five hours last year. Police have said that Robert Perez used a firearm to keep his then-girlfriend, Denise Shadinger, also an Oxnard police officer, from leaving. The charges against him include assault with a firearm, false imprisonment by violence, three counts of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, battery, resisting arrest and domestic violence... Perez, who is out on bail, was in court with his attorney, Mark Pachowicz, who questioned some of the evidence the prosecution plans to introduce. Perez surrendered to Ventura police about 7:20 p.m. on July 29, 2007... PROSECUTOR ANDREA TISCHLER TOLD THE JUDGE THAT SHE PLANNED TO INTRODUCE EVIDENCE OF OTHER ACTIONS ALLEGEDLY COMMITTED BY PEREZ AFTER HE WAS OUT ON BAIL, IN ORDER TO SHOW HIS "PROPENSITY FOR VIOLENCE." SHE SAID SHE'LL ALSO CALL A CHILD WITNESS, THE SON OF A WOMAN PEREZ IS CURRENTLY DATING. TISCHLER SAID THE CHILD ONCE CALLED 911 TO SAY THAT PEREZ WAS "HURTING" HIS MOTHER, WHO IS A VENTURA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY... Pachowicz told the judge, who ruled the evidence admissible, that "the only reason they want it in is they want to dirty up my client"... [Full article here]

Earlier news:

OXNARD POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED AFTER STANDOFFVentura County StarAdam FoxmanJuly 30, 2007The off-duty Oxnard police officer who was arrested after a standoff with Ventura Police this weekend is a 12-year department veteran, authorities said today. Robert Perez, 35, has served as a K-9 officer and is currently a detective... Officers believed Perez had three handguns and an assault rifle. A Ventura police SWAT team and a Crisis Negotiation Team also responded to the scene. No shots were fired... [Full article here]

MAN ARRESTED IN A STANDOFF IS AN OXNARD POLICE OFFICERVentura : Ventura County StarBy Adam Foxman (Contact)Tuesday, July 31, 2007...After the standoff, Perez was arrested and booked into Ventura County Jail, where he was being held Monday afternoon with his bail set at $1 million. He is facing charges of assault with a firearm, domestic violence, false imprisonment by violence and destroying a telephone. The last charge is commonly applied in domestic violence cases when an aggressor destroys a phone a victim might want to use to call for help... By Monday afternoon, Perez had been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation by the Oxnard Police Department... "The charges that he is facing would be very serious, and we take those very seriously," said the assistant chief [Oxnard Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Whitney]... [Full article here]

CHARGES FILED AGAINST OFFICER IN STANDOFFVentura County Star (CA)August 2, 2007...Perez is a 12-year Oxnard Police Department veteran who has served as a K-9 officer and most recently as a detective. On Monday afternoon, Perez had been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation by the department. The case is scheduled for arraignment on Aug. 14. Perez remained in custody Wednesday, with his bail set at $1 million. He could face a maximum prison sentence of 18 years, 8 months... [Full article here]

JUDGE LOWERS BAIL FOR OXNARD DETECTIVEVentura County StarBy Raul Hernandez (Contact)August 15, 2007A judge on Tuesday lowered the bail of an Oxnard Police Department detective who armed and barricade himself in his home last month from $1 million to $750,000... Perez used a firearm to keep his girlfriend, Denise Shadinger, also an Oxnard police officer, from leaving. The judge said Perez put a gun within "6 to 12 inches" of her head while she was in a cowering position... During the hearing, Perez who is in custody, also entered a not guilty plea to charges of assault with a firearm, domestic violence, false imprisonment by violence and destroying a telephone. His lawyer, Monique Hill, had argued that $1 million bail is a violation of Perez's constitutional rights. Hill requested that Perez be released on his own recognizance... that there wasn't one "iota" of evidence that Perez threatened Shadinger, adding that Shadinger allegedly only had "minor scratches and red marks" after Perez was arrested. Hill said this is a misdemeanor case but had "taken on this political posture." Prosecutor Andrea Tischler argued that Perez put officers and his victim into an "extraordinary dangerous situation" when he barricaded himself. She noted that Shadinger violated a court order by visiting Perez in jail. Perez also violated the order by calling Shadinger, said Tischler. Perez made statements to officers that he had "nothing to lose," Tischler said. Back said the bail was too high and reduced it by $250,000. He also called the violations of the court's civil order "disturbing"... [Full article here]